TE Zach Ertz In Philadelphia

On what the last 24 hours have been like for him: "It's been amazing. I didn't get picked the first day but at the end of the day I'm very happy to be here. It's been a whirlwind the past 24 hours. I think I got drafted around 3:50 yesterday and then I was on a flight at 7:15 out here. It's a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to the season."

On whether he thinks he impressed teams by showing what he could do without Andrew Luck at quarterback last season: "I think we lost a lot of playmakers when Andrew left. We (lost WR Chris) Owusu (TE Coby) Fleener and (WR Griff) Whalen. I think I just kind of looked at that as a big opportunity. I think it was a lot of fun this last year and I think I did very well."

On whether his route-running ability comes naturally: "I do work on it a lot. I think it goes back to my high school days with (former San Francisco 49ers TE) Brent Jones. He came out and coached me my junior year and I think I learned a lot from him and I think I've just kind of carried it over the past four years."

On how much contact the Eagles had with him throughout the draft process: "I think all teams were interested except for maybe the Patriots because they don't really need a tight end. I met with the Eagles at the Combine. I had a great meeting with them and then I worked out with (tight ends) coach (Ted) Williams about two weeks before the draft and I thought the workout went really well and I got a call from Coach (Chip) Kelly about five minutes before they picked me."

On how close he has followed the transformation of the tight end position in the NFL over the last few years: "It's been crazy. You see (New Orleans Saints TE) Jimmy Graham out there against some of the cornerbacks. You see (Dallas Cowboys TE) Jason Witten doing what he does; (Atlanta Falcons TE) Tony Gonzalez and I think it's amazing. I'm just really looking forward to the opportunity."

On how tough it was to hear that he wasn't going to be good enough to play basketball at the next level, but that he had opportunities in football: "I thought I could have played basketball in college, but I think once I started lifting, my jump shot kind of went (away). I think once I started playing football, I think everything just started (to become) very natural to me. I think it was a lot of fun with Coach (Craig) Bergman over there at Monte Vista High School and I think everything went well under (former Stanford head coach) Coach (Jim) Harbaugh."

On whether he has any knowledge of the NFC East: "Yeah, I follow Jason Witten a lot just because he was my favorite tight end growing up. I follow the NFC East very closely."

On the use of the three tight end sets at Stanford: "Last year, we went no-huddle with three tight ends and I think that's the first time that's ever happened in an offense at Stanford. I think it worked out very well. I was used all over the field at Stanford and I think that's going to continue here."

On his conversations with Kelly and Williams and what the Eagles are striving to accomplish on offense: "I think, at the end of the day, all we want to do is win. I think we want to put points up on the board and I think they're going to put a lot of people in good situations."